AN end of an era came on Friday, August 27, as the last broadcast from Heart FM's Barnstaple studio took place.

For me personally it was a very sad day, with yet another of our 'local' services being taken away, and I know thousands of others will have thought the same.

Those of us that enjoyed the cheery banter of Hopps and Chapple in the mornings and Suse in the afternoons now have to look forward to a new Heart Devon station from Exeter and I fear the local information we have been used to getting will not be provided.

The new Devon station has a new crew, who apparently might not even be from Devon at all, and so I very much doubt they will know where places like Snapper are when doing traffic and travel. The same goes for the very useful info we get in snowy weather, which is very detailed.

Yes some will say BBC Radio Devon does it, but it's not the same detailed information as from our local presenters. They were born here and know the area. I am a school transport operator, and to have good snow news, and school closure information put online and given out on the radio made our job much easier last winter.

I listened to the bulletin on the new station at 5.30pm on the afternoon of August 27 and the most we got on traffic and travel which featured North Devon, was that the North Devon Link Road was busy. Really? A Friday afternoon in August and the Link Road is busy? Well, goodness me I would never have believed it!

It's just pathetic. Ofcom is saying about the difficulty in licensing a new station at present because Heart holds the only 'local' licence. The station might hold it, but in my opinion it does not now operate it to what the people of North Devon want. Seven hours a day from Exeter, and the rest from London, with local adverts dubbed in does not constitute 'local' to Barnstaple, or North Devon.

We need to get things back to when Lantern FM first started in 1992. Local presenters all day, local news, local traffic and travel, and just a station which is independent.

I seriously hope to advertise our own business on a new local station that is proposed by former Lantern presenter Ian Starling, and I hope the businesses that currently advertise on Heart pull the plug on them, and get behind the new venture.

Let's show Ofcom that North Devon does not need or want a national-branded station polluting our airwaves, and hanging onto a licence that would be better used by someone else.

It is our choice to listen to a BBC station, a local station, or whatever we want, so please, those of us that want a truly local station back in Barnstaple, put pen to paper, or e-mail Ofcom and say why it is important to you.

MATTHEW WEBBER,

Challacombe.

I JUST want to say how much Hopps, Chapple and Suse on Drivetime will be missed by everyone in North Devon, especially those of us who travel the North Devon Link Road every day, these guys keep our spirits up.

Their cheery voices, cheeky banter, great music and extensive knowledge of the people, places and roads in North Devon will be hard to replace.

I know there will be lots of disappointed children this week who will be asking 'Where are Hopps and Chapple?' on their ride to school in the morning.

I saw them at Fremington Manor on Sunday, August 29, and as with most high profile fundraising events in the area, we just expect them to be there — they are our voice of North Devon. I wish now I had gone over and said a big "thanks guys".

Hopefully someone with the insight and the funds will set up a new independent radio station in North Devon with them leading it, if they do I know they will get huge support.

Good luck Hopps and Chapple.

H. MCKELLAR,

Buckland Brewer.